SENTENCING: STEPFATHER GETS

14 YEARS FOR RAPING 14-YEAR-OLD

A44-year-old man was in jail to 14 years imprisonment by the High Court in Lautoka last Friday for raping his 14-year-old stepdaughter. Justice Thushara Rajasinghe said: “You have blatantly breached the trust reposed in you by the victim as her stepfather and by committing this crime on the victim you denied her childhood and the natural growth of her life. “You have employed some form of verbal force on the victim in order to conceal this crime from the society and being a stepfather it was your responsibility to provide the victim necessary protection and care with love and affection. “By committing this crime you have ignored to fulfil such duties and responsibilities.”

Justice Rajasinghe said that the rape had also resulted in his stepdaughter becoming pregnant. The incident occurred on October 2012 on a Saturday morning when the stepfather came home after a grog session in the village.

The stepfather is not entitled to parole till he serves 13 years. The court has given him 30 days to appeal.

You have employed some form of verbal force on the victim in order to conceal this crime from the society and being a stepfather it was your responsibility to provide the victim necessary protection and care with love and affection.

Justice Thushara Rajasinghe High Court in Lautoka